Retirees 70+, do you care about societal advances? (60+, move, state)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Retirees who are 70+ years of age, do you care about societal advances? I have a co-worker who is 71 years old and he said he made an end of life decision today. He purchased his last new car. That got me thinking when you start getting older do you have interests in things that may go beyond the extent of your lifespan?
Technological advances: self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, advancement of computing power, etc.
Medical advances: surgical procedure, distance based medical/therapy appointments, advances in diagnostics/cures for conditions, medication advances, etc.
Environment: Preserving public lands, climate change, etc.
I worry about the circumstances my grands will face when they are adults. I don't see things getting better for their generation, and it makes me sad.
But, in general, I haven't given too much thought to self driving cars. I think medicine will continue to advance, but I don't know how society will pay for medical care.
One thing that bugs me is that so many young adults are not working. Or, are not working full time. I do see this as a serious problem for us and later coming elders. Our SS system might not be able to finance benefits if there aren't enough people working.
Retirees who are 70+ years of age, do you care about societal advances? I have a co-worker who is 71 years old and he said he made an end of life decision today. He purchased his last new car. That got me thinking when you start getting older do you have interests in things that may go beyond the extent of your lifespan?
Technological advances: self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, advancement of computing power, etc.
Medical advances: surgical procedure, distance based medical/therapy appointments, advances in diagnostics/cures for conditions, medication advances, etc.
Environment: Preserving public lands, climate change, etc.
I look forward to your responses.
... Beyond the obvious, like the medical advances, most of the "advances" you've detailed in your post are incidental to daily life - at least for this retiree!
We (DW & I) will be "users" of those advances as we see fit; very-likely, much of what you've outlined won't be an every-day decision for us.
A few months ago, we also purchased what we believe will be our last vehicle; BTW, I'm similar in age to your co-worker. We hope the car will last at least 10 years, then we can decide how to live, move and travel, should either of us still be around.
At that point too, our use of technology just may be a whole lot different from what we use now, but I'd be willing to bet that we'll use only what we need, just to get through the day.
I don't imagine us using much of the infrastructure, either. Very likely, we'll be firmly ensconced in a real cozy "old folks home" and won't have much concern about it.
As for the environment, I'm pretty sure we'll leave all that up to younger tree-huggers. I can envision us being more concerned about whether it'll rain or not, but that'll be about it.
... Others' "mileage may vary", however! ...
I am with the person who is concerned about the next generation. Personal freedoms seem to be a thing of the past. I don't think we need to be trying to make everyone think just exactly like we do. I certainly don't want to be punished for individual ideas no matter which way the wind blows. That people cannot make allowances for another way of thinking is a really big red flag.
I find it alarming that women find it more important to be able to kill their offspring than they do about protecting our borders and making the children already born safe.
The idea of self driving cars gives me the hibigibies. My 75 year old husband is looking forward to having the car drive itself. I just hope it works better than most computers.
Technological, medical and societal 'advances' seemed important during my career and first 60+ years, but, even then, those things paled in contrast to Spiritual growth and relationship with an eternal, living God. That's what I truly care about in my life (70+) -- along with other people. The rest is just temporary window dressing in a temporary life and world.
Technological advances: self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, advancement of computing power, etc.
It's been decades since I've been interested in cars as shiny new toys. But I do appreciate advances like anti lock brakes, GPS, and back-up cameras.
Infrastructure: light rails, bullet trains, expanding interstate highway system, fixing existing infrastructure (i.e. roads/bridges).
Always in favor of these.
Medical advances: surgical procedure, distance based medical/therapy appointments, advances in diagnostics/cures for conditions, medication advances, etc.
Meh.
Environment: Preserving public lands, climate change, etc.
Climate change and enroachment on natural environments aren't societal advances, they're societal retreats.
There are a few realistic advances in the original post, but a lot of it is just Snowflake-fodder; technological progress doesn't advance in a straight line. The usual gush about "bullet trains" (only possible if built "from scratch" and at a huge capital cost) and "self-driving cars" (possible only in limited, well-defined areas, or via development of large, complex alogrithms and databases, which will likely have to be marketed commercially) are good examples.
But having said that, human progress, albeit at a slow pace, is sill a fascinating thing to watch. Almost all of my life has been spent in touch with a basic component of industrialization (the railroads) which were driven almost to collapse and nationalization in the thirty years after World War II, but found a way to re-invent themselves, and survive as a stable, productive, tax-paying private entity.
"The mills of the gods grind slowly, but exceedingly small (fine)." (Plutarch, as translated by Longfellow)
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 01-03-2018 at 12:43 AM..
Our SS system might not be able to finance benefits if there aren't enough people working.
^^ You've just given a very strong argument to increase immigration.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
